If you’re going to play on Stephanie Resnick’s team, you need
to have a good grasp of what she means by “team.”
When Resnick talks about the 170 attorneys she oversees as the
litigation department chairman at Fox Rothschild LLP, she frequently talks
about how every person’s role plays into the overall success of the
organization. All attorneys who work with Resnick need to be willing to not
only carry out their own day-to-day tasks, but work well with others, forming a
strong support structure that empowers everyone and enables Resnick’s
department to achieve high levels of efficiency, along with a positive work
environment.
Smart Business spoke
with Resnick about how you can build a culture of teamwork at your business.
What are the advantages to building a teamwork-oriented
culture?
I think it’s really important to be a part of a team, and
that’s how I view my leadership style. The cases I handle are often cases I
handle with other partners and associates, large, high-profile commercial
cases. So we function as a team, and it’s the same way I run the department.
The other thing is, I do delegate. It is important to delegate and back up the
person you’re delegating to. So if you’re going to delegate to a certain
person, for instance there is a manager in litigation, I want to support her
decision. It’s maintaining a very collegial and cordial atmosphere and, at the
same time, get business done.
What are the keys to building a culture of teamwork?
No. 1, you have to lead by example. The worst thing you can do
is make demands on associates and others and not be picking up the load
yourself. That’s why it’s very important to walk side by side with the people
you are working with, so that you are functioning as a very effective group as
opposed to a hierarchy. I am not into hierarchical structures, and I don’t
think they work very well. So you need to get the input of the people you work
with. The partners and associates in our litigation department know they can
come to me about anything, and they know we’ll work through the problem or
whatever the situation is.
I am very results-oriented from a problem-solving standpoint.
I believe issues should be resolved as opposed to just hanging out there,
leaving someone in the lurch and letting them resolve it themselves.
